In Syria, regime opponents in Damascus are deeply outraged by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s call to reconcile with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In the northern and northwestern parts of Syria, after the traditional Friday prayer on August 12, there were calls for protests.

Discontent also rose in Syrian cities under the control of Turkish troops, including Afrin and Al-Bab. In Idlib province, dominated by Islamists and jihadists, there were calls for organizing protests on the border with Turkey. Separate protests took place at night. In El Bab, protesters burned a Turkish flag and chanted “No to reconciliation!”

On the eve of Cavusoglu, he said in Ankara that the opposition and the regime in Syria will have to reconcile at some point, otherwise, according to him, there will be no lasting peace. The AFP agency notes that this statement obviously indicates a change in Ankara’s course. Since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Turkey has decisively distanced itself from the Assad regime and provided support, including military support, to its opponents. Also in May, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the Assad regime “deadly”.